The Light
by Parodia the Silent
Summary: Abe Shizuko dies. She wakes in a world she doesn't know, as an infant. She ends up taken in by two brats who happen to know how to survive. It's only luck that allows her this. And it is guaranteed to run out. OC. Tags might change, depends on how this ends up going.
1. Kokeshi

_Kokeshi_

When Shizuko had first gained awareness, she found that she couldn't move.

She'd panicked briefly, trying her best to squirm about but only succeeded in tiring herself considerably. Eventually, she was able to piece together that she simply didn't have the strength to move. This was calming, to an extent, and she had attempted to take stock of her situation.

Her senses were _heavily_ muddled. She suspected that if she'd had the strength to open her eyes, the world would appear to her as nothing amorphous blobs of color. While she _could_ smell the world around her, her body had an increasing amount of difficulty in attaching smells to concepts. The only senses that seemed to function in a way similar to the one she only vaguely recalled were hearing and touch.

It wasn't until she focused on feeling that she noticed she was wrapped in _something_. Logic dictated that it was likely a blanket and though she could hardly tell if it was soft or not she decided that this was likely true. What she noticed next was that she was cold. Before she could properly remember exactly what _cold_ was, she was gripped by fear.

She hadn't realized she was screaming until she was lifted from the ground on which she'd lain and upon this realization, she forced herself into silence, almost choking on her own terror.

Of course, Shizuko had not known it at the time but this was her introduction to Hirohito.

* * *

It was another week before Shizuko could fully grasp coherence. Of course, when she had, she found herself in a state of shock.

She had been dead hadn't she, before all of this?

She was certain the answer was yes; of all her memories, her death stood out the most in her mind. She tried her best not to dwell on it.

She remembered with disturbing accuracy the circumstances leading to her death and would argue that she was not, in fact, suicidal. It was only a coincidence that her mother had committed suicide only weeks before and that she was entirely alone when she fell into the river. It was _also_ a coincidence that she was so close to the river, to begin with, while _coincidentally_ not being able to swim at the age of thirty-one.

She couldn't support her family if she was dead, what sense would it have made to die so futilely.

Of course, regardless of intent, she had died. She couldn't continue on as she had even if she'd wanted to. It wasn't a comforting thought but it kept her from falling back into that heart-stopping terror once more. She'd be damned if she let that happen again; _she_ was in control, not this pile of flesh that was her new body. She would not fall into madness because things weren't as they had been.

She felt, if not more confident, than at least the smallest bit more comfortable with her new situation. She relaxed slightly and allowed her mind to drift.

* * *

Shizuko discovered something particularly strange within herself. Ever since she had been reborn— at this point she'd accepted the fact— she held a keen awareness of her own inner workings, even if she hadn't focused on such things.

If she concentrated she could feel the beat of her own heart and hear the thrumming of blood through her veins. She could feel the air settle in her tiny lungs after every breath before she released it to the world once more. These were things she expected; things that were _normal_.

What wasn't normal was the system that ran parallel to her _everything_ ; funneling energy that was heavy and formless and blue— how she discerned color from mere introspection was a mystery of itself. _She had no idea what she was feeling_. Then, perhaps in a moment of infinite shock, she did the only thing she could think of.

Shizuko took hold of this energy.

It was _severely_ draining.

She had nary a moment to comprehend the effects of the energy before she was steamrolled by exhaustion. Distantly, she could feel herself vomiting in the same anti-climatic manner all babies do and heard a cry of "Aniki!" before she slept once more.

* * *

Shizuko had taken the following weeks after she woke to experiment with this energy she'd found. She tried to ignore the implications— _all of them_ because none were good— of what this meant and instead chose to devote herself to study.

For example, in the general vicinity of her left eye, was a dead space in The Blue; she assumed this to mean she was blind in that eye.

After these weeks she'd managed to figure how to draw on the energy without putting herself out, along with discovering she could _direct_ the flow. She'd tried her best to exercise her body and with careful applications of The Blue, she'd made it the smallest bit easier to move.

It was during these breath bouts of exercise in the arms of the boy that he properly spoke to her for what was likely the first time.

His words were not pleasant.

"What are you?" Shizuko had been surprised enough at the boy's tone— full of gloom and uninterested; so much like her own— that she'd opened her eyes. The light stung for but a moment, her eye— as it turned out, her left eye _did not_ work— adjusting far too quickly.

She couldn't see too well and funneled the last bit of Blue into her eye. The world came into startling clarity for the briefest of moments but it was enough.

The brat was _young_ if looks were anything to go by. She had no doubt that he was working far harder than anyone should at that age— _hypocrite_ — and the scowl that was etched on his face made him seem far too old.

This last direction of The Blue was enough to tire her enough that she couldn't ignore it, so reluctantly she allowed herself to rest and recover.

It was because of this that Shizuko was unaware of a discussion between two children, regarding a plan to escape and whether they'd bring 'the girl'.

* * *

The dock was crowded, at least far more so than it had been in a long while.

 _Mizu no Kuni_ — and, to a much greater extent, _Kirigakure no Sato—_ was in such a state of disrepair that most merchants wouldn't venture too far into the land, venturing into its waters but only enough to shorten their travels by only the smallest portion. Few had the nerve to approach even the closest of islands. The chances of finding somebody with the brazenness to dock at Kirigakure _itself_ were abysmal.

That, of course, is not to say that there were none. Among these solemn few was Suzuki Mori who cared _very_ much about how well a job was done. Of course, if you _did_ do your job correctly, he was very easy to please.

Currently, Suzuki Mori was not pleased.

It had begun simply at first: a dropped crate, crates that were _dropped in the water_ , men he'd worked with for _years_ suddenly acting as if they were incompetent, newly-hired brats. All-in-all, he found it extremely irritating but it was nothing that hadn't in the past. Even if it hadn't, he almost understood; his men didn't particularly like coming to Kiri. They "found the mist dis-heartening" they'd always say. He could almost understand that they didn't care nearly as much for the business as he did. It was Mori's after all; he was the one that silver-tongued them all into helping him.

So yes, his exasperation towards all of that was inconsequential when compared to the displeasure he had towards the trio in front him.

There were two men, both of which were only the smallest bit shorter than him— one being little more than two centimeters taller than the other— with brown hair that was so much darker than his own. Secured in the arms of the shorter one was a bundle of cloth, held as one would a baby and if Mori strained his hearing _just enough_ he hear the steady breathing that came with sleep.

Though, as he listened, he found the breathing was far too... _controlled_.

Mori wasn't exactly a genius but he was hardly stupid. He may have been a merchant but he was born of two shinobi parents who'd fought in the Third Shinobi War. As he was growing his mother and father decided that no matter what he decided to become, they'd teach him to protect himself. So they taught him the shinobi arts.

It was this knowledge that fed this growing suspicion of his. This _baby_ was some way or another, was _feigning sleep._ What baby could do that? Or _would_ do that? That one would definitely be trouble.

Mori tore his gaze from the child and back to the taller of the men. He stuck a hand out and spoke. "Suzuzki Mori," he introduced himself flatly.

After a moment of hesitation, the stranger took Mori's hand in his own and shook with a smile. "A pleasure to meet you, Suzuki-san. I am Onishi Tora." Gesturing to the two at his side he continued. "This is my brother, Onishi Hirohito and my... daughter, I suppose, Shizuko."

Mori raised an eyebrow at that. "You suppose?"

Tora ran a hand through his almost black hair. "Well, she's not exactly _mine_. She was abandoned."

Mori could _feel_ the attention that statement drew from the dock workers and fought to keep his expression decidedly blank. It could've been a ploy to gain some sort of sympathy but he'd been able to determine that _at least_ that part of the conversation had been true. The rest was still under evaluation because _something_ wasn't feeling right to him.

Pushing that feeling aside, he returned to the conversation. "Is there something I can help you with, Onishi Tora-san?"

'Tora'— because suddenly Mori was doubting his name as well— slouched and all traces of his previous pleasantness washed off of his features.

"We're in need of transport," he answered in a tone that Mori could only describe as grim; as if something more important was happening.

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is there a reason you've decided my ship would be the best to take you?"

The one called 'Hirohito' spoke up. "Nobody _chose_ you; there hasn't been a ship here in ages so the only choice _we had_ was you."

To Mori, this sounded an awful lot like a sob story and as a successful businessman, he had an inborn immunity to sob stories. Still, _the child_ was there and he'd be damned if he allowed such an obvious danger out of his sight. So, ignoring the younger brother, he turned to Tora with a nervous smile.

"Your daughter," he began. "Can I have a look at her? My mother's been wanting grandchildren for a while and I'd like to know what she finds so adorable about babies." He'd probably said too much— _far too much_ — and Mori could feel how bad a lie it was but he didn't waver.

The brothers exchanged a look that displayed a degree of nervousness before Tora turned back to him. "I suppose so. She's sleeping so your silence would be appreciated."

Mori almost growled back that he didn't need to be told how to handle a kid but he held his tongue. He didn't need them rescinding the offer. So instead he approached Hirohito in the most relaxed manner he could manage. The younger brother held the baby a bit.

"She hates the cold so you gotta be quick, yeah?" Without waiting for an answer he parted the makeshift blanket enough that Mori could the entirety of the girl's head.

What first caught his attention was the tuft of grey hair upon the girl's head. No, not grey; that implied a dullness that her hair lacked. Silver was more appropriate. It was an odd color— outlandish really— had him recalling brief stories his parents had told him of "Konoha's White Fang" but he pushed those thoughts from his mind quickly enough. It wouldn't do to ponder upon such trivialities.

By the time he'd finished pulling himself from such inconveniencing thoughts, the child had opened her eyes and _stared_.

Mori could see why they named the kid Shizuko— _quiet child_. She made no sound aside from that of her breath and that was itself difficult enough to hear. He watched as her eyes seemed to take in his appearance— and later he would laugh at such a thought. What child could be so observant?— before her eyes rested on his. Distantly, he noted that one of her eyes seemed glossed over, the other being a pale blue, but that was overshadowed by the _intelligence_ he saw in them— and perhaps he would later reflect that his first thought had not been nearly as funny as he'd believed.

With a disturbing sort of finality, the child closed her eyes and her breathing once more became slow and controlled.

He was _not_ letting a potential danger stay in his stomping grounds. Kiri was _his_ and like hell he was letting a future menace grow up inside of it.

Hirohito wrapped the girl's head again and Mori straightened himself before turning to Tora.

"She's like a cat." Before Tora add any of his own input Mori turned to his ship— many of his men had taken to watching but scattered beneath his glare— and cleared his throat.

"Tanaka!" The boy must've been waiting for him to call because within the next five seconds, he had placed himself before Mori, sopping wet black hair and all.

"Boss?" Tanaka's tone was curious and only the smallest bit amused.

"Clear up a bit of space in the cargo hold; we'll be having passengers this time around." Tanaka gave an affirmative before making his way onto the ship. Mori turned towards his new passengers. "We'll be docking a few kilometers east of a small town in _Hi no Kuni_. We'll take you there but after that, you'll be on your own. Until then, you will stay in the cargo hold and _I will personally_ call you up for meals."

Tora gave a bow and Hirohito— after a passing glance at his brother— did the same.

"Thank you, Suzuki-san. We'll be sure to stay out your way."

Mori simply nodded. Turning around, he motioned for them to follow him and led them aboard the ship. As they made their way to the cargo hold, he kept a careful eye on his employees, noting which he'd have to reprimand for unwarranted curiosity later on.

He found Tanaka waiting for him at the bottom of the steps leading to the hold and gave him a quick order to leave. Once the boy was out sight Mori turned back to the trio.

"You'll be staying here. _Do not_ leave unless I have personally come to fetch you. Understood?" The brothers both nodded. "Excellent." With that, he proceeded to climb the stairs.

It wasn't until he could no longer see the happenings below him that heard a gasp of air, reminiscent of those of a man who'd almost drowned, followed by a yelp of pain. Mori focused a portion of his chakra into his ears quickly enough to catch a voice— a _child's_ voice.

"—pretty hard to keep up a solid Henge!"

The frown that some said was permanently etched into Mori's face deepened considerably. A solid Henge? No doubt that required an ungodly amount of control. And chakra. Not to mention the fact that he'd been duped by _at least_ one henged person. That only spelled danger.

But he couldn't, in good conscience, revoke his offer, could he? Business was all about taking risks and sticking to deals, wasn't it? Yes, that's what he'd tell himself. So long as he got them out of Kiri without being killed, he could go about his business and no one would be the wiser.

Perhaps something good would later come of this? A high-risk investment in which only he'd lose anything of significance. That was appropriate; if it was stupid, he'd pay for his own mistake. He could live with that.

Maybe he'd ask for his parents' advice?

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 ** _Kokeshi =_ Limbless Wooden Doll**

 **First off, I will only italicize(Is that a word? Nevermind; according to Grammarly, it is.) the Hidden Villages or Lands if I'm using the entire name. For example, _Konohagakure no Sato_ rather than Konoha or Konohagakure; _Nami no Kuni_ rather than Nami.**

 **For those who don't know or have forgotten, _Nami no Kuni_ is the Land of Waves or Wave, however, if it comes up in this fic, I will refer to it as Nami or _Nami no Kuni_ to maintain some sort of uniformity considering the fact that I will refer to all lands and villages as stated in the first paragraph of this note.**

 **On a kinder— or at least a far less serious— note, how do you all expect this fic to go? What do you hope to see in it further down the line? Granted, I likely won't change anything just because you lot say, but your commentary gives me ideas and _ironically enough_ I struggle with those despite the fact that I managed to think up plots for, I think, eleven other fics— only two of which are on this site.**

 **So yeah, let me hear your opinions because without them I can't write well enough to please you folk.**

 **And before someone says, "You don't need to please us! Writing is for the _writer_!"...**

 **No. It really isn't. At least, I don't think it is. I write because I like to entertain people. Not because I'm brimming with ideas that I need to get out 'there'.**

 **As a side note; I couldn't actually think of a plot for any stories until I'd attempted my first, which was a _Soul Eater_ story. I deleted it but I feel a mite more confident in my abilities now so I might rewrite it.**

 **P.S. I feel like, despite saying "on a kinder note", I went on to a topic that had roughly the same tone as the first paragraph.**

 **P.P.S. Suzuki Mori is gonna show up later. I won't drop any hints as to when, but if somebody guesses it correctly I suppose I can, like, check out their fics or something? I can't give you any money or anything like that. Oh. How about— if you want— I right a little one-shot for you? It's that, or I check out your fics; you can't have both. I guess I'll PM you if you're correct and you can tell me which one you want.**

 **P.P.P.S. Be warned; I'm not a very good writer. Like, I'm nothing compared to writers like Kayo-San, LovelyWeather, or jokergirl2001. Go check _them_ out.**

 **P.P.P.P.S. I hope the rest of my Author's Notes don't end up as annoyingly long rants like this one did; I didn't do it on purpose.**


	2. Torii

**Wow. An Update.**

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, as always.

* * *

 _Torii_

It was not two men and a child who had arrived at the gates of Konohagakure. Rather, it was two boys— one nearing a decade older than the other— who approached, a bundle held carefully in the arms of the eldest.

Strangely, the youngest of the pair was almost disturbingly casual in his gait while the elder held himself with a certain caution, his strides long and steps light although measured.

"Oi, Gaku. How long are you gonna watch those kids? If I didn't know better, I'd think you were planning something."

The Chūnin gave a sigh. "Daichi."

Daichi scoffed. "No greeting, Gaku? No, 'Hey, how's it goin'? Just"— here, he deepened his to a comical degree— "' _Daichi_ '. You could at least _act_ friendly; you already look the part, with the blonde hair and big eyes. Just like Hokage-sama, ya know? Even if you're a cold-hearted prick.

Gaku scowled at the comment but otherwise ignored it. "When was the last time we had kids coming through here anyway?"

"A few days ago. With the merchant—"

"I meant by _themselves_." And while that fact was not particularly damning in and of itself, they couldn't afford to take even small risks. "Just by looking, you can already tell they don't have any form of identification on them and despite being children they've made it here virtually unscathed." Because even if they were only kids, the chances that any wandering bandits, traffickers, or other malcontents would pass up an opportunity— even as small as this one— was low.

Daichi gave him an exasperated look. "You're thinking too hard, Gaku. They're just kids."

"And so are Uchiha Shisui and Hatake Kakashi. Every monster of shinobi was a kid at some point— please get that through your head, Daichi."

Daichi ran a hand through his mop of brown hair and sighed. "You want me to go down there then?"

"No; you go fetch somebody, Daichi. I'll just make sure they stay here." At this, Daichi vanished in a Shunshin and Gaku leapt from his perch.

He landed before the children with all the grace expected of a shinobi, his appearance startling enough to send both children stumbling back— the youngest of the two actually falling on his rear. The boy scrambled to his feet quickly enough and ran to stand next to the older of the pair.

The eldest boy— and if it turned out Gaku's suspicion was unfounded, wasn't it likely the boys were brothers?— bore a look of resignation despite the fact that words had yet to be spoken.

Gaku gestured to ground around them. "You may as well get comfortable; we won't be moving for a bit."

The brat of the pair looked between Gaku and his brother(?) before finding a tree he deemed suitable to rest against. The other remained where he stood, a bundle cradled in his arms.

Gaku hadn't much attention to it before it— it was a _baby_ , he noted dimly— but he hardly let it phase him and took the boy's refusal to move in stride.

* * *

Shizuko hadn't paid particular attention to the journey they made to the village. Throughout the entirety of the trip, she'd been ensorcelled by The Blue flowing within her, experimenting as much as her limits allowed.

In her previous life, she would never have put so much of her precious energy into entertaining herself. The Blue, however, was fascinating like nothing she'd ever seen and despite how straining it was— and she was slowly becoming aware that perhaps she was pushing against some barrier meant to protect her— she was drawn to it.

It came so easily. She could move it as she wished with nothing but her will. The amount of control she possessed over it was amazing. It was comparable to... well, she couldn't compare it to anything really; it was unlike anything she'd experienced in her first life. The closest she'd come to such tranquility in the past had been her brief forays into meditation during her fledgling years— something she intended to take up once more to assist in her continued understanding.

It was an intrusion— soft and soothing but an intrusion all the same— of _other_ into her body, her stream of tranquil Blue, that woke her. There was but a moment of panic before her body was once again calm even as she squirmed within the recesses of her mind. In this drowsy half-lucidity, her eyes opened slowly but she couldn't make out any forms. She attempted to take hold of the energy that had come so naturally before, yet her concentration slipped and she managed little more than displace a bit of it.

It wasn't until Shizuko heard a startled gasp— a woman— and felt herself being shifted that she realized she was being held in somebody's arms.

Then the woman's voice cooed to her, "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't mean to wake you." There was a scoff and, though she'd never heard him express himself in such a way, she recognized this as the boy Hirohito-san referred to as 'Aniki'.

"I _told_ you she was sensitive." He spoke to the woman harshly and when she replied it was equal venom, though heavily tempered by cold professionalism.

"You neglected to mention she was sensitive to _chakra_." Shizuko was rocked softly in the woman's arms.

"Aren't all children?" There was silence.

 _Chakra_. That's what it was then? It made a degree of sense; the _chakra_ pooled in certain areas, in a manner reminiscent of the 'chakras' of her first life. Though, so far as she knew, that's where the similarities stopped.

"So, _sensei_ , anything I haven't already said?"

The woman released a sigh and Shizuko was exchanged between arms.

"Apparently not. Aside from the aforementioned chakra sensitivity, there was nothing out of the ordinary. No hidden seals or anything that would imply some form of deception." A pause. "Does that answer your questions, Jōnin-san?" Shizuko had been distinctly unaware of the third person in the room until that moment and suddenly it became a _presence_ in and of itself.

Said 'Jōnin' only snorted. "Hand the girl back to the doctor; you'll be coming with me for the time being."

Nestled up to her guardian's chest as she was, she felt more than heard him let out a stuttering breath before she was handed over to the supposed doctor.

Shizuko allowed her focus to slip; there was little left for her to do now. All faded to black as she finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

He sat with his hands chained to the table and tried his best to ignore the sweat he could trickling down his spine.

The man across from him stared, sharp eyes peering above steepled hands. It had been a while since the boy had felt so small under another's gaze.

After an extended period of staring, his interrogator seemed to do away with his observation and leaned back his chair, folding his hands in his lap.

"What's your name, kid?" At this, the boy averted his eyes— if only momentarily— before clearing his throat.

"At the moment, I go by 'Onishi Tora'." His interrogator didn't openly react but 'Tora' was vaguely certain that he'd at least garnered the man's suspicion.

"'Go by'?" His gaze never moved from Tora's own but when it became obvious that he wouldn't be getting an answer he ceased his silent pestering.

"Fine then. Where are you from?"

There was barely a beat before Tora responded, "Kirigakure." At that, his interrogator made a sound that could be interpreted as interest but showed nothing else.

"And why was it you decided to leave?"

"I decided that if I'd be raising _two_ children, Kirigakure wasn't the place to do it." His answer came easily, like water over a greased pan. Not that he had much experience with them and the little he did have essentially boiled down to a few meals he had shared with—

"How did you go about leaving? Kirigakure's been pretty closed up, so far as I could tell." His interrogator's gaze was as dull as it had been since the start.

Was that meant to be unsettling?

"We used a henge— well, a _solid_ henge. I was afraid there might've been a shinobi at the docks that could've seen through anything else." It had been almost unbearably tiring but it had _worked_.

His interrogator raised an eyebrow. "A solid henge?"

"Ah, the shinobi who taught it to me said that the standard henge fell apart too easily once you lost concentration, so he created his own that was self-applying— given you had enough chakra."

The interrogator let out a hum. "Alright then. Continue."

Tora shifted, doing his best to ignore the feeling of his sweat-soaked shirt sticking to his back.

"I asked a merchant if he'd be willing to ferry us to the mainland. He agreed and dropped us off onto 'a peninsula at the edge of _Mizu no Kuni_ '. We walked the rest of the way."

"You two walked across _Hi no Kuni_ with an infant? With no problems at all?" His interrogator spoke with something resembling wonder.

"I'm not stupid enough to waste my time dragging two kids across a nation just to let them die— not before me at least."

"Commendable."

Tora rolled his shoulders as the shinobi in front of him leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

"Shinobi-san, for an interrogation this is rather..."

An eye was opened. "Would you prefer I start pulling off your fingernails?"

Tora turned his gaze to the wall. "I'd probably die from anything more than that, really. I'm not exactly in the best condition."

That itself was an under-exaggeration. As it was, the last 'bite'— because you could hardly the meager scraps he scrounged up 'meals'— he had was three weeks ago in Kirigakure. He'd been prioritizing Hirohito and Shizuko through the entirety of their trip and the only reason he hadn't keeled over while they were still on the road was that Suzuki-san's map had made it so they weren't wandering blindly.

"Hm? Ah, well one more question and we can wrap this up then." A sigh and the shinobi leaned forward again. "The shinobi who taught you that henge, do you know their name? Any distinguishing features?"

"Name? No, I'm not even sure he ever told it to me." Tora leaned as far back as restraints allowed, staring up at the ceiling. "Distinguishing features... He was a missing-nin, I remember that much. Other than that, he looked pretty dull."

The interrogator stood from his chair and brushed off his shoulders. "Alright then. I'll talk my guys and then you'll be on your way." The shinobi left through a door in the corner of the room.

Tora let out a ragged breath as his head lolled back.

It was _so unbearably **hot**_.

* * *

The door closed.

"Oi, what was that? That's all? You're not even gonna pressure the kid a bit?"

A shrug. "He was pretty forthcoming. Even then, it was pretty obvious he wasn't lying."

"But _still_ —"

"Do you _really_ want to watch me torture a kid?"

Silence. Then:

"Do you think he might be part of a clan? I can't see a missing-nin taking interest in a child for any other reason."

"It's a possibility but it's not very likely. You've heard about the Bloodline Purges in Kiri, right?"

"Oh. _Oh_ , I'd kinda forgotten about that."

"Well, even disregarding that issue, his reserves are barely Genin level. I even cast a genjutsu on him at one point but I'm pretty sure he didn't even notice."

"Eh? What were the details?"

"Simple stuff: insects in uncomfortable places and made myself look a bit inhuman— elongated fingers, sharper teeth, deeper shadows. I even scattered some offal around the place. All he ever did was shift around a bit, but he was doing that before I'd even thought of using a genjutsu."

"Genjutsu immunity?"

"No. My chakra had definitely locked itself into his system."

A pause.

"Did you release him from it when you left?"

"Huh? No, I wanted to see if he was faking his reaction."

"He looks pretty damn uncomfortable to me."

A glance toward the window.

"Oh."

A quickly muttered ' _kai_ '.

"Hm. I guess he's just uncomfortable."

Silence.

"Make sure that transcript is logged correctly. I don't know if Ibiki'll care enough about this but it needs to be somewhere accessible just in case. Like, I don't know, his desk."

"It was once and I was a rookie. You don't need to call me out like that every time."

The comment was ignored and footsteps echoed down the hall.

* * *

When the blindfold was removed from Tora's eyes, he was only dimly surprised to find himself standing before the shinobi who had stopped him at the gates.

Making a point of ignoring that fact Tora turned to Hirohito as the boy's own blindfold was removed. Upon making sure that his brother was fine and that Shizuko was safely secured within his arms, Tora turned back to the shinobi who watched them with an awful combination of frustration and patience.

The shinobi's partner— brunette as opposed to the former's blonde, he noted— had the decency to attempt to look cheerful but only looked as comfortable as his partner did.

The blonde cleared his throat. "I'm Gaku, this is Daichi; we'll be escorting you to the orphanage."

Tora nodded. That was more than he expected to be done for them.

Gaku-san turned stiffly and started walking, prompting his partner— along with Tora and Hirohito— to follow. The brunette took up the rear, while the other led.

Before the silence could become any more stifling, Gaku-san spoke up again.

"I hope you're not upset about all of this. It was a precaution."

Tora shook his head despite knowing the blonde shinobi couldn't see him. "I didn't expect we'd be let in at all. I was more prepared to sneak in than I was for all of this."

Behind him, Tora heard Daichi-san chuckle. "Then you would've been in _more_ trouble. Honestly, this was the best-case scenario, considering we just finished a war a few months ago."

Tora blanched at that. As secluded as he had remained throughout the greater portion of his life, he had only heard vague mentions of the war and hadn't a clue whether it was still going strong. Finding out that he'd missed that chaos by a few months was... alarming.

Luck. He'd been lucky. He couldn't take the risk of _not knowing_ ever again. Had he decided to leave Kirigakure even a month earlier, their trip could've been decidedly different.

"Ne, Aniki?"

Tora gave his brother a cursory glance— Ah, Shizuko was there as well— and leaned down even as they continued to walk. "Hirohito?"

"How big d'ya think—"

"'Do you'."

"How big _do you_ "— he spoke slowly and with an emphasis that told exactly what he thought of that correction— "think this place is?"

Tora stood up straight and imbibed the sight Konohagakure.

"I wonder."

* * *

When they arrived at the orphanage, Tora and Hirohito were forced to wait as Gaku-san sorted things out with the matron— or at least, he'd introduced her as the matron. Daichi-san had left once they'd been within sight of the orphanage and had made a point of wishing them luck before vanishing.

It didn't take them long to be registered at the orphanage and once the process was finished— and Gaku-san left them as well— he and Hirohito were ushered into the baths and Shizuko was taken to the nursery. Hirohito found the experience quite novel but Tora did his best to make as little direct contact with the water. They were both finished within five minutes and— despite a particular caretaker's skepticism— were given a new set of clothes.

The matron led them around the orphanage, pointing out each room to them.

There was a lot of staring from the other children. It was disconcerting because while the pair had received a few stares while in the village proper, Tora could write it off as the novelty of watching shinobi lead children down the road and Hirohito could focus on Shizuko. Here, they were the center of attention by virtue of being there.

Tora, in particular, was already anxious with Shizuko out of his sight.

Their impromptu tour stopped in a large dining and the brothers were offered a meal. Both rejected with the claim of being tired and the sun was well on its way to setting. They would eat the next day.

They were brought to their beds— and the stares had halved by then but there were still far too many— among the other orphans. Tora made a point of not asking after Shizuko but his worry must have been clear on his face as the matron assured him that she was fine. The assurance did little but Tora gave her a nod regardless.

Despite his exhaustion, he laid awake until the moon had risen high into the sky.

Despite himself, he regretted coming to Konohagakure and its awful heat. Of course, there hadn't been any real options either.

* * *

 _ **Torii =**_ **Japanese gate found most commonly at the entrance or within a Shinto shrine**

 **Wow, it's been eight months since I updated this fic. I'm pretty ashamed of myself.**

 **In regards to the next chapter of _Re-Re-Re_ : I'm _really_ struggling with that for some reason. Like, it'll get done _sometime_ but I'm still only two-hundred thirty words in.**

 **Uh. I kinda wish this chapter had more Shizuko; she's a lot easier for me to write. But I started writing and then it was like _"Woah, what happened?"_**


End file.
